If
by ReadingStar
Summary: Sometimes, he still wondered if he might have been able to save her if he had gone home early. If he hadn't been selfish and had come home... If... The Dumbledore siblings


**Written for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 11, Pureblood Siblings: Dumbledore Siblings  
Team: Holyhead Harpies Position: Captain  
Length: 1004 words, excluding A/Ns**

**DISCLAIMER:**

_**No matter how much I wish, I shall never be J.K. Rowling  
**_**_No matter how much I beg, I shall never own Harry Potter_****.**

* * *

"Sir – Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?" Harry asked him cautiously.

"Obviously, you've just done so," he replied, smiling. "You may ask me one more thing, however."

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?" Harry asked, his eyes still fixed on the mirror.

"I?" he paused as he thought of his answer. "I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."

After Harry had left the room, he moved in front of the Mirror of Erised, something he knew he would regret doing.

He stared at his reflection the mirror reflected a younger version of him who was standing next to Abeforth. Standing in front of the two brothers was an older Arianna, one who he had never actually seen. They were all laughing at something, happy to be together. They were all one.

It still haunted his dreams, the day on which Arianna had died, he saw himself shooting the curse that had hit his sister. His dead little sister. For, even though Abeforth would never accept it, they both knew that he had cared for Arianna. He had loved her the way any other brother would his sister.

He had started detaching himself from the family when he went to Hogwarts, the thick string that connected them was slowly becoming thinner and thinner.

It had been a few days before he left for Hogwarts, he had been very excited and had been discussing the school with his siblings all day.

"Al," Abeforth had said to him. "When I grow up, I want to be just like you."

"Thanks Ab," he had replied, never realising how much his brother's words would mean to him in the future, or now.

Going to Hogwarts had changed him and his relationship with his siblings. He no longer wanted to spend time with them and he found their games boring and babyish. Abeforth had been affected by the change in his behaviour the most. Abeforth had begun to loose his temper and the two of them argued a lot more then.

As he went up the school, the amount they argued increased until they no longer cared for each other the way they used to. They were now just like two people who happened to be related.

After leaving Hogwarts, he had decided to stay away for as long as possible by doing a world tour. A few days after he had started it, Abeforth had wrote to him saying that Kendra was ill and that he should return home immediately. He had been selfish and had not wanted to go back home, instead he continued the tour with Elphias. His mother had died the next week, she had been killed in one of Arianna's accidents, too weak to save herself.

Sometimes, he still wondered if he might have been able to save her if he had gone home early. If he hadn't been selfish and had come home… If…

Abeforth had been angry at him at first, but in the end, we decided that the only way to keep the family running and to keep Arianna safe was by being friends. So theu did, even though it was forced at times.

And then, he came. Gellert Grindlewald. A friend at first, but a foe now. The two of them had become friends at once, they were two genius minds and together, they could do anything.

They… he had wanted to do things for the greater good then. The 'Greater Good' a stupid dream in his mind, one he should never have followed. It broke the strings that was making him one with my siblings again. It broke it in a way that it could never be repaired again.

It had happened just before Abeforth had to leave for Hogwarts, he had tried to remind him that his responsibilities lay at home, with Arianna and that she would require his full attention. He had known that the day when Abeforth would say this to him would come all wlong, but when it did come, he refused to acknowledge it.

Gellert had come to his rescue. He had been the one who had started arguing with Abeforth, but, they had started arguing because of him, Albus Dumbledore. It wasn't fair to blame Gellert when it was all his fault. He had been the one who had messed up and his sister payed for it.

From a small argument, it soon became a full fledged duel with all three of them throwing curses at each other. At first they only tried to disarm or stun, but in no time, they were trying to kill too. He didn't know whose side to take, his friend or his brother. He still shot curses, but at nobody.

That was when Arianna came in. His little sister Arianna. She wanted to help, she always wanted to when she saw someone get into a fight. She tried to stop the,, accidently walking into the middle, and then it hit her, the killing curse. Seperating him from her.

Arianna's death broke Abeforth and his relationship. He refused to talk to him after the funeral. Abeforth hated him for everything. Abeforth blamed him for everything. The suprising part is, so did he. He knew that if he hadn't been selfish he could've saved his mother and his sister. He could have kept the relationship between his siblings and him everlasting, like most other relationships are.

But no, he had made a mistake, the damage was done and there was nothing he could do to repair it, no matter what.

Yet, in his dreams, he would see a different world. A world in which his family and he are one. They all love each other and laugh together, never being separated no matter what.

He blinked and stepped away from the mirror. He blinked again and then, casting a disillument charm on himself, he left. He would not waste away in front of the mirror.

He knew what he had done wrong and he will never do it again. No matter what. Pity it was too late…

"Obviously, you've just done so," he replied, smiling. "You may ask me one more thing, however."

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?" Harry asked, his eyes still fixed on the mirror.

"I?" he paused as he thought of his answer. "I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."

After Harry had left the room, he moved in front of the Mirror of Erised, something he knew he would regret doing.

He stared at his reflection the mirror reflected a younger version of him who was standing next to Abeforth. Standing in front of the two brothers was an older Arianna, one who hr had never actually seen. They were all laughing at something, happy to be together. They were all one.

It still haunted his dreams, the day on which Arianna had died, he saw himself shooting the curse that had hit his sister. His dead little sister. For even though Abeforth would never accept it, they both knew that he had cared for Arianna. Loved her the way any other brother would his sister.

He had started parting from the family when he went to Hogwarts, the thick string that connected them was slowly becoming thinner and thinner.

It had been a few days before he left for Hogwarts, he had been very excited and had been discussing the school with his siblings all day.

"Al," Abeforth had said to him. "When I grow up, I want to be just like you."

"Thanks Ab," he had replied, never realising how much his brother's words would mean to him.

Going to Hogwarts had changed him and his relationship with his siblings. He no longer wanted to spend time with them and he found their games boring and babyish. Abeforth had been affected by the change in his behaviour the most. Abeforth began to loose his temper and the two of them argued a lot more.

As he went up the school, the amount they argued increased until they no longer cared for each other the way they used to. They were now just like two people who happened to be related.

After leaving Hogwarts, he had decided to stay away for as long as possible by doing a world tour. A few days after he had started it, Abeforth had wrote to him saying that Kendra was ill and that he should return home immediately. He had been selfish and had not wanted to go back home, instead he continued the tour with Elphias. His mother had died the next week, she had been killed in one of Arianna's accidents, too weak to save herself.

Sometimes, he still wondered if he might have been able to save her if he had gone home early. If he hadn't been selfish and had come home… If…

Abeforth had been angry at me at first, but in the end, we decided that the only way to keep the family running and Arianna safe was by being friends. So we did, even though it was forced at times.

And then, he came. Gellert Grindlewald. A friend at first, but a foe now. The two of us had become friends at once, we were two genius minds and together, we could do anything.

We… I had wanted to do things for the greater good then. The 'Greater Good' a stupid dream in my mind, one I should never have followed. It broke the strings that were making me one with my siblings again. It broke it in a way that we could never be repaired again.

It had happened just before Abeforth had to leave for Hogwarts, he tried to remind me that my responsibilities lay at home, with Arianna and that she would require my full attention. I had known that the day when he would say this to me would come all wlong, but when it did come, I refused to acknowledge it.

Gellert had come to my rescue. He had been the one who had started arguing with Abeforth, but, they had started arguing because of me. It wasn't fair to blame Gellert when it was all my fault. I had been the one who had messed up and my sister payed for it.

From a small argument, it soon became a full fledged duel with wll three of us throwing curses at each other. At first we only tried to disarm or stun, but in no time, we were trying to kill too. I didn't know whose side to take, my friend or my brother. I still shot curses, bug at nobody.

That was when Arianna came in. My little sister Arianna. She wanted to help, she always wanted to when she saw someone get into a fight. She tried to stop us, accidently walking into the middle, and the it hit her, the killing curse. Seperating us from her.

Arianna's death broke Abeforth and my relationship. He refused to talk to me after the funeral. He hated me for everything. He blamed me for everything. The suprising part is, so did I. I knew that if I hadn't been selfish I could've saved my mother and my sister. I could have kept the relationship between my siblings and me everlasting, like most other relationships are.

But no, I had made a mistake, the damage was done and there was nothing I could do to repair it, no matter what.

Yet, in my dreams, I see a different world. A world in which my family and I are one. We all love each other and laugh together, never being separated no matter what.

I blinked and stepped away from the mirror. I blinked again and then, casting a disillument charm on myself, I left. I would not waste away in front of the mirror.

I knew what I had done wrong and I will never do it again. No matter what.

* * *

**So um... I'm writing this during NaNoWriMo, which means that it isn't that good... I didn't get to spend much time on it either...**

**Despite this, I hope you like it!**

**-Stara**


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